Jing Li was momentarily frozen in his tracks by Gu Tingshen’s sudden question, his mind going blank, with only his heart pounding rapidly—thump, thump, thump—the sound so loud that he wondered if Gu Tingshen could clearly hear it through the receiver.
Yet Jing Li could not care about anything else at the moment. Gu Tingshen’s words kept replaying in his mind.
“Can I pursue you?”
“With the intention of marriage and spending the rest of our lives together.”
“Can I pursue you? With the intention of marriage and spending the rest of our lives together…”
“Can I…”
…….
Over and over again, accompanied by his increasingly intense heartbeat, it kept stimulating his sensitive nerves.
Jing Li opened his mouth, but he could not utter a single word for a long time.
“Jing Li? What’s wrong?” Wang Lele, who was with him, walked a few steps without hearing any sound and turned back to see him standing still with a dazed expression. He hurried back and asked.
It was as if Jing Li had just awakened from a dream. His eyelashes fluttered lightly, and he struggled to maintain a calm demeanor as he said into the phone, “Okay.”
However, his trembling voice betrayed his turbulent inner state. Before Gu Tingshen on the other end could speak, Jing Li feigned composure and said, “I still have something to take care of here, so I’ll hang up now.”
With those words, he directly hung up the phone.
Wang Lele looked at Jing Li’s slightly tense profile, then at his right hand tightly gripping the phone until his knuckles turned white, and it was slightly trembling—he still seemed lost in bewilderment.
Before he could ask again, Jing Li suddenly turned his head towards him. “You heard what Wu Xiaojun said earlier. Come to my room later, and we’ll rehearse the scene together.”
“But…”
“What’s wrong? The moonlight is so beautiful tonight. Don’t you think it’s a good time to rehearse?”
As he spoke, Jing Li smiled and patted Wang Lele’s shoulder, his expression joyful as he walked ahead, his back exuding obvious happiness, as if he truly believed that tonight’s moonlight was perfect for rehearsing.
But…
Wang Lele looked up at the pitch-black night sky, devoid of even a single star, let alone the moon.
No, that’s not right.
Wang Lele shook his head, he almost let Jing Li’s mood sway him.
“But there’s no scene with both of us tomorrow, what scene am I supposed to rehearse…” Wang Lele muttered with a furrowed brow, but seeing Jing Li’s receding figure and the rare sight of him so lively, he quickened his pace to catch up.
Perhaps Jing Li was referring to rehearsing scenes from other parts of the script.
When Jing Li brought Wang Lele back to his room, Wu Xiaojun had not arrived yet. He instructed his assistant to brew a pot of coffee and then dismissed him to rest in his own room.
The two had just sat down on the sofa when a knock sounded at the door.
Assuming it was Wu Xiaojun, Jing Li got up to open the door. Sure enough, Wu Xiaojun stood outside, and upon seeing Jing Li, he smiled, revealing two small canine teeth. He then raised the various packaged late-night snacks and beers in his hand, grinning, “Mr. Jing, I’ve brought my tuition to rehearse with you~!”
Jing Li was instantly amused by Wu Xiaojun’s playful demeanor, arching his eyebrows. “Are you sure you didn’t come for me to eat late-night snacks?”
“Hahaha, you have a point. Then please allow me to treat you while also giving me some guidance.” Wu Xiaojun laughed along.
“Are you two planning to finish chatting right at the door?” Wang Lele looked at the two by the door with some exasperation and timely reminded them.
“Is there someone else inside?” Wu Xiaojun’s smile froze instantly. His position at the door was blocked by a wall, so he hadn’t seen anyone else inside. Hearing the voice, he craned his neck to take a look and finally noticed someone sitting on the living room sofa.
“Yeah, Lele is here too. Let’s go inside first.” Jing Li noticed his action and quickly moved aside to let him in before closing the door behind him.
Wu Xiaojun entered the room. Although he was somewhat reluctant about the additional presence, he didn’t show it on his face. He rounded the corner with a smile, “Mr. Wang, sorry for interrupting your discussion with Mr. Jing.”
Although his friend had forcibly dragged him here earlier, such reasons were clearly not to be mentioned in front of others.
“It’s fine, we’re done talking.” Wang Lele smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before inviting him to join them.
Wu Xiaojun smiled in response and placed the late-night snacks and beers on the coffee table, saying, “You both must be hungry. The snacks I bought are still hot, so you can eat them while they’re warm. We can rehearse later.”
“You two eat. I’m not hungry,” Jing Li said, glancing at the long sofa Wu Xiaojun was sitting on and the single sofa Wang Lele occupied. Without hesitation, he went over to shoo Wang Lele away. “You sit over there.”
“Why?” Wang Lele looked at him in confusion.
“It’ll be more convenient for you two to eat together,” Jing Li lifted him up and plopped down on the sofa himself, calmly explaining, “Besides, when we rehearse later, it’ll be better to face each other for observation.”
Wang Lele couldn’t argue with that reasoning and had to move to Wu Xiaojun’s side.
Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaojun paused briefly but then smiled nonchalantly at the two before shifting aside and eagerly beckoning Wang Lele to join him.
Though they called it a late-night snack, Wu Xiaojun and Wang Lele didn’t eat much.
Firstly, as artists, they needed to strictly control their figures, so their dietary requirements were relatively strict. Secondly, their purpose for gathering was to rehearse, not to have fun, so none of them would carelessly waste each other’s time.
Wang Lele fared slightly better since he wasn’t involved in the scene the other two were rehearsing. So, when Wu Xiaojun put down his chopsticks and began rehearsing with Jing Li, Wang Lele watched while leisurely eating and occasionally taking a sip from the beer he had opened to help with the grease.
The beer was the same one they had opened while eating late-night snacks with Wu Xiaojun. However, either due to Wu Xiaojun’s poor alcohol tolerance or fear of affecting his rehearsal performance, he had only taken a few sips and didn’t drink anymore. Wang Lele thought it would be a waste to discard it, so he drank from it occasionally while eating.
The scene Wu Xiaojun wanted to rehearse with Jing Li wasn’t overly complex. It involved Jing Li’s character, the young military commander, falling into danger after being ambushed during a struggle with other warlords. He was then rescued by Wu Xiaojun’s character, a member of the Red Star Party. The scene focused on their conversation in a small alley after escaping the danger.
There wasn’t much dialogue. It mainly concentrated on portraying the expressions and emotions.
“As a member of the Red Star Party, Zhang Zhongmin had heard plenty about the young commander’s exploits, so his attitude towards the young commander should be one of admiration and appreciation,” Jing Li pointed to a section in the script. “And finally having the honor of meeting the young commander in person, his gaze upon the young commander at this moment should be excited, but given the current situation, he’s also a bit worried…”
Following Wu Xiaojun’s input, Jing Li detailed his own views, and Wu Xiaojun listened attentively, occasionally offering his own perspectives.
When they had covered the key points, they rehearsed that scene. Whether it was due to Jing Li’s explanations or not, they nailed it in one take. Wu Xiaojun grasped the character’s psyche and expressions perfectly. His immersive performance even prompted Jing Li to unconsciously continue acting out a subsequent segment.
“Mr. Jing, do you think my performance was okay?” Wu Xiaojun humbly asked Jing Li after the rehearsal.
“Personally, I think it was very good,” Jing Li praised with a smile, his gaze towards Wu Xiaojun reflecting increased appreciation. “If you hadn’t said you were unsure about it, I wouldn’t have noticed any issues at all.”
“That’s thanks to Mr. Jing’s guidance,” Wu Xiaojun smiled, lowering his eyelids, though his eyes lacked any mirth.
In truth, he had practiced countless times in private to perfect his role. Claiming uncertainty was merely an excuse.
Since his original plan for them to be alone was disrupted, he didn’t intend to proceed as planned. Instead, he seized this opportunity to showcase his skills before Jing Li and the others, hoping to perhaps gain their praise, which would not be a total loss.
And judging by their expressions, his performance was evidently quite successful.
However, Wu Xiaojun understood the wisdom of taking it step-by-step.
Since he had come under the pretext of rehearsing, having resolved the “difficulty,” he no longer had a reason to stay longer. After some casual conversation with the two, he stood up to take his leave, inquiring if they wanted the remaining late-night snacks on the table, intending to gather the trash and dispose of it on his way out.
Naturally, they declined the food but wouldn’t let a guest clean up for them. They stopped Wu Xiaojun and saw him to the door before returning to the living room.
“I feel this kid Wu Xiaojun seems pretty decent. He’s diligent, straightforward without being fussy, and sensible.” Back on the sofa, Wang Lele helped gather the snack boxes from the coffee table and remarked to Jing Li, “But for some reason, I still get this weird feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on, like something about him isn’t quite right.”
Jing Li smiled and glanced at him but remained silent, seemingly unwilling to comment on Wu Xiaojun.
Soon after, the smile on his lips unconsciously widened for some reason.
Wang Lele had been talking for a while without receiving a response, and when he looked up, he saw Jing Li grinning to himself.
“What are you smiling about?” Wang Lele gave him a puzzled look, but Jing Li just smiled and shook his head. “Nothing.”
Wang Lele: “……”
Nothing, yet you’re grinning like an idiot.
Unsatisfied, Wang Lele was about to speak when Jing Li tied up the bag containing the snack boxes and handed it to him. “It’s getting late. You can go back now.”
Wang Lele: “……”
Wang Lele: ??????
Seeing Wang Lele standing there dazed, Jing Li simply slipped the bag over his fingers, patted his shoulder, and said, “Thanks for your hard work.”
Then he made to usher him out.
“…Wait, didn’t you ask me to come rehearse with you?” Wang Lele looked bewildered as Jing Li pushed him, hurriedly turning to remind him. But Jing Li casually replied, “I remembered wrong.”
With that, Jing Li calmly pushed Wang Lele out the door.
Staring at the suddenly closed door, Wang Lele angrily slapped it. “Jing Li, you’re unbelievable!”
However, Jing Li had no time to pay him any mind. After closing the door, a notification on his phone in his pocket alerted him to a new message. He took it out, and upon seeing the sender, the corners of his mouth instantly curved upwards. He headed towards the bedroom, typing out a reply.
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